KNEES: The 1 Leg Squat Test and You.

One test we do in office to eliminate the cause of pain in the average patient is the SQUAT TEST....It's very basic.

Stand in your normal neutral position and bend your knees slightly, now pick up one leg and squatting down as far as you can with the other.

I evaluate your feet, your hips, your torso...

We can earn a LOT about your MOBILITY, Motor Patterns, & your common habits.

Keeping it basic, if you aren't able to hold your body in alignment while doing this exercise, you WILL get injured in the long term...The mechanical strain on the knee is just too much and this leads to increased degeneration and inflammation (pain).

If we CATCH and then correct your positioning (with new pattern training and mobility homework) with a squat test, we can protect you from the dangers of your favorite sport or hobby.

Here’s a great research paper on the topic. Published in 2007 in the Journal Physical Therapy in Sport, it highlights that abnormal motion is increased in those who have knee pain.

The Study:

What they were trying to show: Patients in the squat group with knee pain would collapse the knee inwards (towards the centerline) while doing a basic squat.

- 13 Females without knee pain

- 12 Females with documented patellar pain

- Average age 37 plus or minus 9 years.

The Patellar pain group included those who felt pain in the front of the knee (in the patella region), aggravated by any weight-bearing activities including running, squatting, kneeling, going up or down stairs, and prolonged sitting

Measurements were recorded during standing and at at 45 degree bend and the femoral frontal angle and the femoral deviation were calculated. Before the test, the ladies were asked to practice the 45 degree knee bend 4–6 times prior to testing, then the test was conducted with an electrogoniometer.

The Ladies Were Tested and retested one week apart in a squat test, the movement of the knee on the coronal plane was measured in 3 trials.

What they Found was to be EXPECTED...

Those who had poor control of their knee and hip stability were also the ones in the pain group. As basic as that. Practice good habits, come in if this is you and we can get started on untangling tight hips and hamstrings, re-educating muscles to fire and stabilize, and then we can give you exercises to continue this outside of the office.